Sunday, July 29, 2001
Have you any wool?
By Cathy Willoughby
Staff Writer
Baa-baa, the black-faced sheep, was being led around by someone wearing wool.
Lots of lambs, and children of all ages, were showing off their woolen wear at the fair's Sheep Lead-In contest Saturday evening.
The sheep barn was full of spectators, watching each child, sometimes with little cooperation from their sheep, walk around the pen. The children then stepped on stage to model their wool clothing.
Francine Neal, who has judged the National Guys and Gals Lead Competition in Louisville, Ky., said the children who competed could be involved with sheep raising in any way.
"Their parents can be involved, or older brothers and sisters,'' Neal said. "They need to have access to sheep at home. And they need to wear something made with wool. It just needs to have a percentage of wool in it.''
The children are judged on how they handle the sheep, and on how they model and display the outfit they are wearing.
Even preschoolers got involved, with a child as young as 16 months, sporting a gray coat and hat, walking beside her brother, who was decked out in red plaid Pendleton overalls.
McKenna, who was 4 years old, was leading her lamb, Buttercup. They were both in pastel pink, McKenna in a pink wool capelet, over a cream-colored dress, Buttercup with a matching stole.
Three-year-old Cole, from Port Clinton, jumped on stage and spun around to give folks in the stands a fleeting glimpse of his outfit.
Baa-baa's handler, Laura Goshe, 9, of Republic enjoys participating in the lead-in contest. "I like it, that you get to model with your sheep,'' she said.
Allister Phillimore, 6, led a sheep owned by Doug Clouse. "Last year I did it,'' he said.
Kathy Hoover, 13, a member of the Seneca County Junior Farmers, led a friend's sheep in the contest for the first time. She was wearing a light green wool blazer. "My adviser asked me if I wanted to do it,'' she said of the contest.
All participants received a bag of prizes for participating.